November/December Book List
I read a lot toward the end of the year. Go figure. One of these may not have been in November, but I remembered it before I posted this list. So. Not necessarily in chronological order:
13. Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale: My jaw still drops if I think about this book for very long. The movie was fun, and you could hardly believe it, but the book is the real deal. This guy writes in such a matter-of-fact way about conning everyone under the sun and stealing obscene amounts of money. The chutzpah he had is mind-boggling. A quick read and so much fun. 4 stars.
14. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende: A fun story, but not much more. The characters were just one tick above average on the predictability scale. There was a redeeming plot twist, but mostly this was just a good way to pass time in the airport or on a plane. 3 stars.
15. A Trip to the Stars by Nicholas Christopher: The latest book club selection, and a doozy. Just the right mix of fantastic and realistic, set all over the world in the 1960's/1970's, and a very fun read. Too many characters with similar/difficult names, though. Discussing it at book club was painful b/c I never knew who they were talking about! Lots of astronomy, antiquities, love and loss, and globetrotting. Good times. 4 stars.
16. Iron & Silk by Mark Salzman: What do you get when you send an American martial arts buff/English professor to communist China in the 1980's? A selection of really good anecdotes - true ones! Neat insight into a culture that still remains a mystery to most of us. Easy to read and really interesting. 5 stars.
17. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: After reading him in high school, I swore I'd never pick up Thomas Hardy again. But my East Coast book-swap friend Megan included this one in the last batch of books she sent me, telling me it is her all-time favorite. I had to read it. Regrettably, the foreword gave away all the essential points of the plot, including the (tragic) ending. I know it's a classic, but dude - warn me! Anyway. The language is beautiful and complicated, the story painful. I can't imagine how complicated and confining it would be to be a woman in 19th-century anywhere, much less a poor woman with a pretty face. Let's just say it sucks to be Tess. But it was a good read, and even though I knew the ending (Bruckheimerrrrr!), it kept me turning the pages. 4 stars.
So I didn't break 20 books in 2007, at least that I wrote down/remembered. I didn't really have a goal; the tracking was more just to see how many I did read. It's fun, really, being able to look back at it. I think I'll do the same in 2008.
previous lists
13. Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale: My jaw still drops if I think about this book for very long. The movie was fun, and you could hardly believe it, but the book is the real deal. This guy writes in such a matter-of-fact way about conning everyone under the sun and stealing obscene amounts of money. The chutzpah he had is mind-boggling. A quick read and so much fun. 4 stars.
14. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende: A fun story, but not much more. The characters were just one tick above average on the predictability scale. There was a redeeming plot twist, but mostly this was just a good way to pass time in the airport or on a plane. 3 stars.
15. A Trip to the Stars by Nicholas Christopher: The latest book club selection, and a doozy. Just the right mix of fantastic and realistic, set all over the world in the 1960's/1970's, and a very fun read. Too many characters with similar/difficult names, though. Discussing it at book club was painful b/c I never knew who they were talking about! Lots of astronomy, antiquities, love and loss, and globetrotting. Good times. 4 stars.
16. Iron & Silk by Mark Salzman: What do you get when you send an American martial arts buff/English professor to communist China in the 1980's? A selection of really good anecdotes - true ones! Neat insight into a culture that still remains a mystery to most of us. Easy to read and really interesting. 5 stars.
17. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: After reading him in high school, I swore I'd never pick up Thomas Hardy again. But my East Coast book-swap friend Megan included this one in the last batch of books she sent me, telling me it is her all-time favorite. I had to read it. Regrettably, the foreword gave away all the essential points of the plot, including the (tragic) ending. I know it's a classic, but dude - warn me! Anyway. The language is beautiful and complicated, the story painful. I can't imagine how complicated and confining it would be to be a woman in 19th-century anywhere, much less a poor woman with a pretty face. Let's just say it sucks to be Tess. But it was a good read, and even though I knew the ending (Bruckheimerrrrr!), it kept me turning the pages. 4 stars.
So I didn't break 20 books in 2007, at least that I wrote down/remembered. I didn't really have a goal; the tracking was more just to see how many I did read. It's fun, really, being able to look back at it. I think I'll do the same in 2008.
previous lists